The Old Washoe Club in Virginia City, Nevada, is one of the Comstock’s best-known reportedly haunted landmarks. From its historic saloon and staircase to stories of voices, apparitions and a supposed crypt, the building attracts ghost tours and paranormal investigations. LiveSciFi returned to the property and documented possible EVP responses, EMF readings, cold areas and physical sensations on camera.
Are the stories true? This guide separates the history of the 1860s building from the social club founded in 1875, explores its most famous ghost legends, and links directly to the recorded investigation’s key moments so readers can assess the evidence themselves.
Location and address: 112 South C Street, Virginia City, NV 89440 (Storey County). Type: Historic commercial building and former gentlemen’s club. Reported phenomena: Apparitions, unexplained voices and sounds, movement, and sensations of being touched. Evidence status: Historic building documented; paranormal interpretations unverified.
Address: 112 S C Street, Virginia City, NV 89440. GPS coordinates: Latitude 39.309304, Longitude -119.650216 (decimal degrees). View location on Google Maps. Approximate museum and saloon location pin.
Old Washoe Club at a Glance
| Location | 112 South C Street, Virginia City, NV 89440, Storey County, Nevada |
|---|---|
| Dates | Building: early 1860s; Washoe Club organization: 1875 |
| Site type | Historic commercial building / club |
| Reported paranormal activity | Apparitions, footsteps, alleged EVPs and crypt accounts |
| Verification status | Historic dates documented; LiveSciFi’s reported EVP, EMF and physical experiences are recorded on video, but a supernatural cause is unverified |
History of the Old Washoe Club
Virginia City and the Comstock fortune
Virginia City’s late-nineteenth-century skyline was built on silver, speculation and difficult labor. The Comstock Lode drew miners, merchants, financiers, journalists and entertainers to a town that expanded rapidly as fortunes were made—and sometimes lost—in its surrounding mines. Comfortable gathering places developed alongside more ordinary saloons and boardinghouses. A club offering privacy, newspapers, billiards and elegant rooms was as much a status symbol as a social institution.
Architectural historians date the Old Washoe Club building on South C Street to the early 1860s. The Society of Architectural Historians’ Archipedia describes a substantial brick commercial building with a cast-iron frontage. Its uses extended beyond the well-known club: bars, shops, a stock brokerage, rooming accommodations and offices occupied parts of the property. That layered history matters when evaluating accounts said to involve occupants from one specific era.
When was the Washoe Club actually founded?
A date often repeated in paranormal descriptions is 1862. That roughly matches the age associated with the historic building, not the documented foundation of the exclusive Washoe Club organization. The club’s own historical account reproduces a report from the Territorial Enterprise dated February 21, 1875, documenting an organizing meeting held the previous afternoon. It describes sixty charter members and plans for a library, a billiard room and other well-appointed facilities.
The roster included some of the most influential figures associated with the Comstock, among them John Mackay and James G. Fair. Their wealth reflected the extraordinary profits—and stark inequalities—of the mining economy. The club purchased and renovated rooms in the Reynolds Building on B Street and opened its initial quarters on June 1, 1875. Members came to socialize, read reports and conduct business in surroundings far removed from everyday mine work.
The Great Fire of 1875 and the move
On October 26, 1875, a catastrophic fire swept through much of Virginia City. The Washoe Club’s original rooms were consumed. The organization survived, but had to reconsider its property and finances. Contemporary newspaper material gathered by the club records a move to more elegant rooms in the Douglas block in 1876. The club and the present-day building are therefore connected through local history, but their stories should not be flattened into a single uninterrupted claim that an elite club opened in today’s rooms in 1862.
The distinction is not just academic. A haunting narrative attributed to a fatal event in a building needs to establish that the event occurred at that location, during the right period, and involved a real person. Without that foundation, an atmospheric story is still a story—but not a verified biography of a ghost.
Ghost Stories and Reported Hauntings
Figures, voices and the upstairs rooms
The Old Washoe Club has become a popular stop for paranormal tours and overnight investigations. Accounts associated with the property describe apparent figures in doorways or on staircases, disembodied conversation, footsteps, sudden noises and the feeling of an unseen hand touching a visitor. Some investigators also report electronic-voice phenomena, or EVPs: sounds captured on a recording that listeners interpret as spoken words. These descriptions are reports of experiences, not independently established demonstrations of spirits.
One frequently retold cluster of stories concerns a young girl and unusual sounds on the upper floors. Different versions attach names and tragic backstories to the child’s alleged presence. Other tales focus on a woman seen near the staircase or unexplained music associated with former entertainment rooms. The most responsible approach is to preserve the legends as part of Virginia City’s oral paranormal tradition while examining whether a contemporary newspaper, death register or other record supports the details.
A reported pale face in a Washoe Club photograph
One image supplied for this article has been described as showing a pale or white, face-like shape toward its left side. We include it as a reported photographic anomaly, not an authenticated image of a ghost. Reflections, low-light noise, motion artifacts, visual pattern recognition and the original scene all need consideration. Without the original image file, exposure details and a controlled comparison photograph, the identity or cause of the apparent shape cannot be established.
The crypt and the story of seventy-seven bodies
Another long-running claim involves a space described as the building’s crypt or former cold-storage area. Ghost-tour retellings say it once held seventy-seven bodies because frozen ground made burial impossible. That is an arresting image—and precisely the sort of detail that deserves a primary-source citation before it is repeated as fact. In the historical references reviewed for this article, a contemporaneous burial list or municipal record verifying that exact number and use was not established.
Visitors may genuinely experience cold spots, odd acoustics or unease in an enclosed room. Those feelings cannot, by themselves, verify the crypt story or identify a source for an unexplained noise. Underground and older commercial spaces also deserve attention to airflow, temperature variation, sound transfer, and structural movement.
Kristin Manning’s Psychic Sketches: Reported Washoe Club Encounters in 2013–2025
In addition to its recorded EVP sessions and reported physical sensations, LiveSciFi has received a series of drawings by Kristin Manning, a psychic sketch artist, depicting figures she says she perceived around the Old Washoe Club. These four images represent her interpretation of those experiences, including a possible resemblance between one sketch and a photograph. We present the work as firsthand accounts expressed through art, not as photographs or independent verification of supernatural beings.
2013: A Pale-Faced Figure Reported at Home and at the Washoe Club
Kristin says she first saw an unsettling, pale-faced figure at her home the night before going to the Washoe Club in 2013, then perceived a similar figure at the location. Her monochrome drawing depicts dark hair, deep-set dark eyes and a stark white mask-like face. Handwritten markings on the supplied image refer to August 2013. The resemblance and apparent recurrence reflect her own account; they do not establish that an external entity followed her between the two places.
2013 Meet-Up: A Woman-Like Figure and a Later Photo Comparison
At a LiveSciFi gathering at the Washoe Club, Kristin recalls perceiving a woman whom she interpreted as possibly a former prostitute. A second supplied image pairs a dark, low-detail screenshot on the left with her pencil sketch of a woman on the right. Kristin and LiveSciFi interpreted a resemblance between the image and the 2013 drawing. The screenshot is visually ambiguous; the perceived similarity does not independently identify a person, occupation or ghost.
February 26, 2025: Spider-Like Limbs in the Main Front Room
During a 2025 Washoe Club investigation involving Tim and Lilly, Kristin reported perceiving a dark figure in the main front room. Her drawing, dated February 26, 2025, portrays a pale-faced figure with long, spider-like extensions spreading from its back behind another person. She connected the face to the figure she recalled from 2013. The drawing provides a dated account of her perception, not a measurement or independently documented apparition.
Earlier Investigation with Tim, Mark and Debbie Constantino: A Dark Figure
Kristin also supplied a sketch connected to an earlier investigation involving Tim Wood, Mark Constantino and Debbie Constantino. She described a dark presence as wrapping around Mark and appearing to reach toward Debbie’s neck, as though beginning to choke her. The illustrated scene reflects Kristin’s account of what she believed she perceived; it is not independently verified evidence of a physical assault by an entity. The investigation has been recalled as taking place around 2014, but we have not independently verified its exact date and therefore do not present a specific year as confirmed.
Artwork and psychic sketches by Kristin Manning. Images and accompanying experience descriptions supplied to LiveSciFi for this article. Credit for the sketches belongs to Kristin Manning. Any apparent figures in adjacent photographs or screenshots remain open to interpretation. For recorded rather than illustrated material, see the full Washoe Club investigation and timestamped evidence moments.
How LiveSciFi approaches the evidence
LiveSciFi has investigated the Washoe Club on multiple occasions. The video archives allow viewers to evaluate sessions in context rather than relying on a single dramatic clip. See Washoe Club Return: EVP Sessions, Thermal Checks, Ouija & Mirror Questions and Washoe Club Investigation: EVP Playback, Solo Sessions & Window Photo.
When assessing a proposed EVP, the strongest presentation preserves the original audio, recording conditions, time stamp, potential human speech sources and any filtering used in playback. An ambiguous syllable should not be treated as a confirmed message simply because a listener can hear a word after being prompted. Similarly, a disembodied sound should be labeled as an unexplained sound unless there is a clear reason to classify it as vocal.
LiveSciFi’s Old Washoe Club Investigation: EVP Evidence, EMF Readings and Physical Sensations
Our investigation at the Old Washoe Club in Virginia City included audio recorders, electromagnetic-field (EMF) meters, thermal checks, a spirit box and questions asked in locations associated with the building’s haunted reputation. The team reported multiple possible EVP responses, physical touch and scratching sensations, cold areas and unexplained-seeming EMF activity. Some participants described the atmosphere as dark or oppressive. These are the team’s observations and interpretations, not a verified identification of a spirit or an objectively measured form of ‘dark energy.’
EMF readings can fluctuate for ordinary reasons, including old wiring, powered devices, electromagnetic interference and meter movement. The video begins with an EMF baseline check; the available chapter notes alone do not establish the source of any later spike. Similarly, an EVP is a sound interpreted as speech, not confirmation that a disembodied speaker generated it. Original recordings and relevant environmental measurements are essential for further analysis.
Watch the investigation and jump to the key moments
Full episode: Washoe Club Return: EVP Sessions, Thermal Checks, Ouija & Mirror Questions (approximately 2 hours 6 minutes). The following timestamps come from the episode’s saved YouTube chapter list, so readers can examine the surrounding footage rather than relying on isolated claims.
- 3:01 — EMF baseline and environmental explanations: The investigation checks readings and acknowledges ordinary conditions that might affect measurements.
- 4:01 — First EVP recorder session and 26:03 — Playback of an unattended recording: Listen to what the team recorded and how it was interpreted.
- 15:36 — Leg-touch and scratching sensations: A participant reports a physical sensation during the session.
- 49:07 — Reported response interpreted as a name and 54:04 — Recorder playback and a reported shape: The team discusses potentially meaningful but ambiguous responses and observations.
- 1:22:09 — Solo EVP questions in an upstairs room: A quieter individual recording session.
- 1:51:08 — Sudden cold area reported and 2:00:39 — Back-scratch sensation reported: Later physical sensations described on camera.
- 2:02:37 — Doorway shadow comparison: Investigators discuss a visual effect and compare it with lighting.
What these moments demonstrate: They provide an on-camera record of the team’s experiences and reactions. Whether any EVP, EMF fluctuation, perceived touch or shadow has a paranormal cause remains a separate question. Readers should be able to hear the complete surrounding scene and assess competing explanations.
For a second session at the property, see Washoe Club Investigation: EVP Playback, Solo Sessions & Window Photo. Together, the episodes form part of LiveSciFi’s larger In Search of the Paranormal LIVE episodes archive.
Is It True? Examining the Washoe Club’s Haunted Reputation
What the historical record supports
Documented: An early-1860s commercial building stands at the historic site. The elite Washoe Club was organized in February 1875. Its first quarters opened in June, were destroyed in the great October 1875 fire, and were replaced with another set of rooms in 1876. These events have supporting architectural and newspaper-derived historical references.
Unverified: Claims that particular ghosts are identifiable former occupants, that specific unexplained voices belong to deceased individuals, and that exactly seventy-seven bodies were stored in a crypt require additional independent documentation. Kristin Manning’s psychic sketches document the figures she reports perceiving during and around investigations; the drawings and photographic comparisons do not independently verify an apparition, a spirit’s identity or a supernatural encounter. A named apparition is not a confirmed historical person until the underlying identity and event can be substantiated.
Reported but not proven supernatural: Footsteps, voices, apparent movement and sensations experienced by visitors can be meaningful personal observations. They do not automatically establish paranormal causation. A reliable investigation must consider visitors in nearby rooms, sound traveling through old structures, heating and ventilation, reflective surfaces, and recording artifacts before drawing a conclusion.
Why the legends persist
The setting itself carries an unusual emotional weight. Virginia City contains visible architecture from an exceptionally turbulent period of mining expansion, industrial accidents, migration and destruction by fire. A building associated with wealth and the lives of long-deceased residents offers fertile ground for stories. Ghost lore may preserve community memory, but it can also merge different buildings, dates and people into a single narrative. Untangling those stories makes the place more interesting, not less.
LiveSciFi assessment: Our team’s multiple reported EVP responses, EMF fluctuations, physical sensations and shadow observations are meaningful field experiences and are available to review in the investigation footage. Some felt the events suggested a dark or oppressive paranormal presence. However, an EMF meter measures electromagnetic fields—not supernatural energy—and neither the readings nor the audio establish an identified entity. The historic Washoe Club is a worthwhile investigation subject precisely because original recordings can be assessed alongside alternative explanations.
Visiting the Old Washoe Club in Virginia City, Nevada
Address:
The Washoe Club, 112 South C Street, Virginia City, NV 89440. The venue publishes this as its official visitor address, along with information on ghost tours, the museum and overnight investigations. Check the official directions and current opening hours, and check available ghost tours before making the trip.
Because this is an active historic venue rather than an abandoned site, any paranormal filming, upstairs access or overnight investigation should be arranged with the operator. Tour schedules, pricing and permitted areas can change. The nearby Mackay Mansion and the wider Virginia City haunted-history guide are useful companion stops for a broader Comstock-area itinerary.
Questions About This Haunted Location
Where is the Old Washoe Club?
It is at 112 South C Street, Virginia City, Nevada 89440, on the historic Comstock. The venue offers tours and other visitor experiences; check its official directions page for current details.
Was the Old Washoe Club established in 1862?
The original commercial building dates to the 1860s, but contemporary reporting places formation of the Washoe Club organization in February 1875. Those are two different historical dates.
Is the Old Washoe Club really haunted?
Visitors and LiveSciFi investigators report unexplained-seeming experiences, including possible EVPs, EMF fluctuations and physical sensations. Their documented observations are worth examining, but neither the recording nor the historical material cited here proves a supernatural cause.
Where can I hear the Washoe Club EVPs?
Use the first recorder session at 4:01, the unattended recording at 26:03, or the reported response interpretation at 49:07 to jump into the LiveSciFi episode.
Nearby Haunted Places and Related Investigations
Browse the LiveSciFi Haunted Locations database to compare locations, reported hauntings, addresses and investigation footage.
Explore other research in Nevada’s haunted locations, including Mackay Mansion and Virginia City historic overview. Related location histories should be compared independently rather than treated as proof of paranormal activity.
Historical References and Further Reading
- The Washoe Club — historical account with reproduced Territorial Enterprise reports (1875–1876).
- The Washoe Club — official location and visitor directions.
- LiveSciFi — Washoe Club Return investigation and chapter moments.
- Society of Architectural Historians, Archipedia — Old Washoe Club, architectural history.
- Amy’s Crypt — examples of contemporary reported haunting narratives (claims treated as folklore, not primary historical proof).